Rival student groups clash at elite Pakistan university

January 22, 2018

Pakistani police officers with riot gear stand guard at the University of Punjab following clashes between two student groups, in Lahore, Pakistan, Jan. 22, 2018. Students linked to rival groups, one linked with a radical Islamic party, the other with nationalists, have clashed at the prestigious university, with dozens reported hurt in the skirmishes. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Students linked to rival groups clashed for hours on Monday at a prestigious university in Pakistan, with dozens reported wounded, police and a university official said.

Zakaria Zakir, vice chancellor at the University of Punjab, said a group linked to a radical Islamic party clashed with another linked to a nationalist movement in the eastern city of Lahore. Students also turned on the police when they tried to quell the violence.

Local TV footage showed police officers bleeding from minor cuts after they were hit by stones hurled by the students.

Zakir said the two groups argued over the holding of a cultural festival at the campus. The radical Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba party dominates the university and has a history of clashing with rival groups.

Elsewhere in Pakistan, a student shot and killed a college principal in the northwestern town of Shabqadar after being scolded for regularly showing up late, local police chief Inam Khan said. He said officers arrested the student shortly after the killing.